Southern tier authorities arrest serial bank robber

Tuesday

The man suspected of robbing three area banks since August is the same man who served time for robbing the Community Bank, N.A. on Corning’s Northside in 1999.

The man suspected of robbing three area banks since August is the same man who served time for robbing the Community Bank, N.A. on Corning’s Northside in 1999.

Southern Tier law enforcement officers took David M. Harrington, 38, into custody early Monday morning at his residence in the town of Gates, Monroe County.

The ex-con was charged with third-degree robbery in connection with last month’s bank heist at the Community Bank, N.A. in Watkins Glen. Harrington was arraigned in Watkins Glen Village Court and jailed on $100,000 cash bail.

Police believe Harrington is also responsible for an August bank robbery in Corning and an October bank heist in Ithaca.

“He’s a suspect in those other robberies (Corning and Ithaca) as well, but he hasn’t been charged,” Schuyler County District Attorney Joe Fazzary said.

“The decision was made by our bosses that is was best to charge him with the Watkins Glen robbery,” Corning Lt. Jeff Spaulding said. “Now that he’s in jail ... (we’re working) on finishing up analyzing our leads. We had 14-15 people who needed to be interviewed.”

Spaulding said Corning Police will turn over its evidence to the Steuben County District Attorney’s Office when the investigation is complete.

“I think there’s a certain amount of confidence on the Corning side that (Harrington’s) the Corning culprit,” Spaulding said.

Evidence will also be turned over to prosecutors in Ithaca, who will determine whether charges will be filed in that case.

Harrington, who was suspected of robbing as many as 13 banks in Western New York before 2000, was convicted of robbing the Community Bank, N.A. on Pulteney Street in Corning on May 7, 1999. He was sentenced to 2-6 years in prison.

Additionally, Harrington was sentenced to 4 to 13 years in prison for robbery in Oswego County.

He was released from prison in September 2005.

On Aug. 28, 2007, a man fitting Harrington’s description robbed the Community Bank, N.A. on Market Street in Corning. The suspect made off with between $5,000-10,000.
Less than two months later, on Oct. 11, a man with similar features and mannerisms pulled off a heist at an Ithaca branch of the Tompkins Trust Co. Authorities did not disclose the amount of money taken.

On Jan. 17, Harrington allegedly robbed the Community Bank, N.A. on Franklin Street in Watkins Glen.

Harrington was arrested without incident Monday morning at his residence on Westside Drive. It is unclear what, if any, physical evidence including cash, was recovered.

According to Spaulding, the arrest was weeks in the making as several agencies coordinated evidence. A tip provided to Steuben County Chief Deputy Joel Ordway in late January and evidence from the 1999 Corning robbery helped crack the case, police said.

“It was a great police investigation,” Spaulding said. “We had a total of 28 investigators there (Monday).”

The arrest was a joint effort by the Corning, Ithaca and Watkins Glen police departments, as well as state police, the FBI, the state Division of Parole and several district attorney’s offices.

“(This was) a very large investigation encompassing a lot of police agencies,” Fazzary said.

Managing Editor Joe Dunning contributed to this report.

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